Large alphabet floor puzzles can be used to teach children how to recognize letters of the alphabet. Whether you are teaching kids at home or at school, have them participate by putting the alphabet puzzle together in alphabetical order. Then, for the letter recognition part of the activity, name a letter and instruct the child to stand or jump on top of the puzzle letter. When you say "A," the child should step onto the letter "A" in the puzzle. Scramble up the letters so that the child has an exciting time jumping from one section of the puzzle to the other.
Alphabet blocks are educational blocks that make effective letter recognition tools. For your activity, scatter all of the blocks on the floor in a large play area. Call out a letter and instruct the child to locate the block with the corresponding letter on it. If the child brings you the incorrect letter, send him back to the blocks to find the right one. Once he brings the correct block to you, tell him to find the next letter.
A file folder activity uses a regular office file folder and turns it into a simple board game. For an alphabet recognition activity, flatten the file folder so that both flaps are spread out. On one flap write uppercase letters from A to Z. On the opposite flap write the lowercase letters from z to a. You want them to be scrambled so the child does not complete the activity based on memorization. Give the file folder to the child and tell him to draw a line connecting the matching letters. Each uppercase letter has a matching lowercase letter.
Your child can learn about letters by playing with the colorful letter magnets on the fridge. Play with him as you create words and say them together out loud. Then ask your child what letter the word starts with and what letter it ends with. Or play a game where you point to an object in the kitchen, such as a slice of bread, and say "bread." Then ask your child to find the first letter of the word "bread." He should look through the many magnets and extract the letter "B."
You and your child can play alphabet recognition activities in public, such as while at the grocery store. While in the produce section, hold up a variety of fruits and vegetables for your child to tell you what letter they start with. You also can practice with your child in the car, by asking him what the word "road" starts with, etc.